The ''Stadt-Express'' ''(SE)'', formerly ''
City-Bahn (CB)'', is a train category in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, that links conurbations with the outer reaches of the surrounding countryside. The name literally means "City Express".
Deutsche Bahn
(, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG).
DB was fou ...
no longer offers Stadt-Express services, but the
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund
The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is a List of German transport associations, transport association that covers the Public transport, public transport network of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main area in Germany. Its head offi ...
tariff association still ordered them until December 2016. As a consequence, there were Stadt-Express lines in the RMV-area, but they were categorized by the
Deutsche Bahn
(, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG).
DB was fou ...
as either
Regionalbahn
The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...
or
Regional-Express
In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (; RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with a top speed of and an average speed of about as it calls at fewer stations than ''R ...
.
Stadt-Express lines were renamed to
Regionalbahn
The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...
or
Regional-Express
In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (; RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with a top speed of and an average speed of about as it calls at fewer stations than ''R ...
or were discontinued. The last remaining one is running from
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
to
Saalfeld/Saale operated by Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland.
Concept
The ''Stadt-Express'' has the role of linking cities to those areas outside their immediate surroundings; it therefore stops at every station in the outlying region. However, in the 'core' area of the conurbation, served by other local passenger trains like the ''
S-Bahn
The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
'' and ''
Regionalbahn
The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...
'' trains, it runs faster, like a ''
Regional-Express
In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (; RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with a top speed of and an average speed of about as it calls at fewer stations than ''R ...
'', and therefore only stops at the most important stations.
While there are no more Stadt-Express services in Germany, several Regionalbahn or Regionalexpress services still follow the concept: For example, the RE 22 (''
Eifel-Express'') stops from
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
Messe/Deutz to
Kall only at important stations, thereafter it stops at every station on the way to
Gerolstein
Gerolstein () is a town in the Vulkaneifel district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Gerolstein is a local municipality of the ''Verbandsgemeinde Gerolstein''. It has been approved as a ''Luftkurort'' (spa town).
History
As early as the Stone ...
, like a ''Regionalbahn'' train, a service not provided on this section of the line. After Gerolstein it changes its designation to "RB 22" and runs officially as a Regionalbahn to
Trier
Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
.
Not all ''Stadt-Express'' routes followed this concept exactly; several services stopped at all stations even in the core area.
The ''Stadt-Express'' category was classified as a local service (''Nahverkehr'') and therefore could be used without supplementary fare.
Due to the general refurbishment of the Riedbahn, which connects Mannheim and Frankfurt with a high-speed rail line, from 15 July to 14 December 2024, the Regional Express services RE4 and RE14 were temporarily converted to SE14.
See also
*
City-Bahn
*
Train categories in Europe
In Rail transport in Europe, Europe, railway companies assign trains to different categories or train types depending on their role, i.e. based on the used rolling stock, their speed (high-speed rail, high-speed, higher-speed rail, higher-speed, ...
Sources
*
:de:Stadt-Express
References
Passenger rail transport in Germany
Regional rail in Germany
{{Germany-rail-transport-stub